Change of Plans
by Gabby D
Summary: All their attempted dates so far didn't work out one way or another. This time, Chloe Decker is determined to have a perfectly fine romantic dinner with her Devil or so help her. Of course, everything goes horribly wrong. Until it all goes perfectly right. [DeckerStar]


After so many botched dates, someone less willed might call it a sign that it was just not meant to be— first being stood up, then being interrupted by a stripping stewardess and later ghosted only to have him return with a literal arm Candy? Yeah,that would give anyone second thoughts. Luckily for Lucifer, however, Chloe Decker was not that someone and she didn't give up easy.

And also she knew for a fact that it was not true, though she still prefers to ignore _that_ part.

(Somehow dating the Devil is less mind-boggling than being a literal, God-given miracle. How was this her life now, again?)

The plan was a simple one, as things go.

Just a normal dinner date in a restaurant— if you ignore it was in one of the fanciest restaurant in LA, so much that Lucifer had to call in an old favor just to make sure they had a reservation, and that hardly anything in their life could be considered _normal_. All she had to do was dress up in her best outfit, one fitting of where they would be going tonight, and wait for Lucifer to pick her up in his corvette so they could go together.

What? She said she didn't give up easily, she didn't say she didn't take being stood up in a restaurant personally regardless of why.

So yeah, they would have an amazing dinner together and maybe even dessert depending on the mood, and then— as it was Dan's weekend with Trixie and Chloe didn't have to worry about her daughter— they'd end the night by going back to his penthouse, making sure no ex-lover could interrupt them this time around.

Simple, really. Easy to follow.

All so she could have a perfectly nice date with her Devil after so long waiting.

And of course, it all goes wrong.

It started with Dan. A new lead turned into a stakeout and _they need him there, Chlo', he's so sorry but it's his first case alone after being demoted last year and can they switch the weekends? Thanks, and sorry again._

And Chloe couldn't even blame him this time, though she was sure tempted to. Ever since their final divorce he's been present for Trixie and actually trying this time around, and he actually looked pretty regretful about it. At least he warned her and dropped off Trixie early enough that she could still fit it in her plans, though the grand finale would have to be rescheduled. She didn't even warn Lucifer about it, thinking it was justa bump in the road.

Except now there she was, all dressed up and ready for their date, except that Maze was out of the country in a bounty hunt and of course the babysitter couldn't come either to watch over Trixie, why did Chloe ever expect something to go her way?

"I'm so sorry," she told Lucifer after he turned up at her house, tux impeccable as everything about him always was and with a clearly expensive bouquet in hands, only to be surprised by Trixie throwing herself at him as soon as the door opened. "I know you called in a favor to get us a table but I have to stay with Trixie tonight, nobody else is available."

And while Chloe would never in her life resent her little monkey for it, she did feel bad about having to cancel so last-minute. And after preparing for it for so long, too! Hopefully it wouldn't be too much trouble to reschedule.

"It's quite alright, darling, I understand," Lucifer dismissed her apology right off, still awkwardly trying to detach Trixie from him which just made her giggle and hold tighter into the hug. "Is the spawn hungry?"

Chloe shook her head, amused.

"No, Lucifer, she's not trying to eat you I promise. But… probably, yeah, it's almost time for dinner," she answered, holding back a wince at the reminder of their lost dinner. "Come on, you little monkey. Let Lucifer in." Chloe pulled her daughter away, sharing a smile with her, before turning to Lucifer again. "Why?"

Once finally inside, he looked her up and down, seeming almost amazed at the sight of her now that Trixie wasn't distracting him, and took his sweet time to take in the view. She was wearing a backless short dress with lace details and sleeves, in a gorgeous navy color that made her eyes pop— something she wore only once and never again, never having the opportunity to until now.

Chloe could already feel her cheeks heat up at his unashamed staring, though she basked in it all the same.

"Not what I meant, though I am grateful for the reassurance. You never know with the little urchins," said Lucifer, fixing his jacket again and adjusting the cufflinks to try and hide his nervousness. "But I was merely asking if she had dinner yet."

 _What?_

She frowned, giving him a small confused smile.

"Why, I need to know if I'll be cooking tonight," he replied to her unasked question. "After all, I was promised a dinner, Detective."

A sudden and overwhelming sense of warmth and fondness and _love_ engulfed her as he said it; the knowledge that not only did Lucifer understand the implication of dating a single mother, but he embraced it. Refusing to let a small setback stop them from enjoying the night together, including Trixie in his plans without a second thought… Hell, but how she loved this man.

Chloe could only watch as he barged in into her kitchen, already opening the fridge as if he owned the place. "No need to point me in the direction of your appliances, I already know where everything is."

That shook her back into reality, and she shared a look with Trixie as her little monkey climbed on kitchen stool to watch him better.

"Oh, you don't have to…" Chloe protested weakly, and was quickly interrupted.

"But I insist, Detective. There's no reason to let the night go to waste, you even put on that ravishing dress— though of course, you'd look lovely regardless of the garment, love. Heaven-sent, I might say. So please, allow me."

She blushed at his compliments, giving him a shy smile and nod, letting some of her hair fall on her face as she looked at the beautiful flowers he had handed to her earlier on. She'd have to find a vase for them later, but for now her coffee table would do.

"Now, now, what should I do for us, you think?"

"I want pizza!" Trixie announced quite animatedly, making the decision for them, and that was that.

Lucifer started to work almost immediately, putting out everything he thought necessary and finding the specific ingredients he needed as Trixie watched almost bewitched. Never in her life would Chloe not find amusing the fact that her daughter was as fascinated by Lucifer as the Devil was scared of her. Still, it always warmed her heart to see the two interact.

"This would usually take longer, you can never hurry perfection after all, but I figure you must already be quite hungry so I can speed it up a little," Lucifer told her patiently, taking off his expensive jacket and pulling up his sleeves. "Now, what flavour are we thinking of?"

"Pepperoni!"

"Your desire is my command," he agreed easily enough, already grabbing it from the fridge.

Sensing it would take a while to get ready, Chloe stepped off from the domestic scene— after sneaking out a picture, of course, because she wasn't made of stone and they honestly looked adorable all focused in the kitchen together— and went to grab a movie they could all enjoy in the meanwhile, smiling to herself. The Devil, who she's dating, is in her kitchen making pizza with her eight-years-old.

Somehow the thought only made her smile even wider instead of frightening her.

She ended up picking Wreck-it Ralph and Beauty and the Beast on a whim, though she refused to admit there was something more to her choices. It was a happy coincidence at best, if some things aligned with their lives. Or that was what she told herself.

When she came back, Lucifer and her daughter both had their hands full of flour and, curiously enough, the tip of their noses.

Chloe discreetly took another picture, this time sending it to the Tribe's group chat. She chuckled at Ella's immediate response, the forensic not sparing a single emoji in her excitement, though the motion drew Lucifer's attention to her.

He lit up, giving her one of his bright smiles. "Ah, Detective, there you are!"

"I got us a couple of movies, one to watch before the food and the other while we eat. What do you two think?" She held up the DVDs, staring down at her daughter as if they were about to make a serious deal.

Trixie stared back, face as serious as her own.

"Good choices," she decided magnanimously in the end, opening a little mischievous smile that only called more attention to the flour on the tip of her nose, "but! You have to help make the pizza too, mommy."

Chloe nodded, wisely. "You make a decent deal."

They shook on it.

From the other side of the counter Lucifer clapped, drawing attention to himself once again. "Splendid!"

She smiled at him, sharing a purely domestic and genuine moment that a year ago Chloe would swear was downright impossible. Trixie nudged her on the side lightly, stopping them before they could lose themselves any longer staring at each other.

"So!" she started, trying her best to resist the urge to clean her now flour-covered hand in the expensive dress she was still wearing for some godforsaken reason. "Where do we start?"

In the end, Lucifer made making pizza from scratch seem a lot simpler than it probably really was— talking them both through it the entire time, his voice low and soft enough that made her face heat up and butterflies appear on her stomach whenever she caught his eyes. Trixie remained thoroughly focused on the task the entire time, delighted to be both making one of her favorite foods and to be doing it with _Lucifer,_ who was one of her favorite people in the world.

It wasn't really a three people job, but he made sure to include them in every part of it anyway, and that made her heart sing with joy. Sometimes, Lucifer could be just so thoughtful without even realizing it.

When they finally put their finished pizza in the oven— not without an innuendo from Lucifer that was halfway aborted as soon as her elbow hit his ribs, making Trixie laugh at their antics and Lucifer's exasperated protest— it was with a sense of satisfaction and pride that seemed to infest all three of them. They stood there for a second, watching the product of their hard work bake.

"Well then," Lucifer broke the spell, turning around to both of them. "Movies, you'd said? I know better than to ask if they're at least the naughty kind, though one can always hope."

Chloe smiled, shaking her head.

" _No,_ Lucifer. They're children-appropriated movies," she answered in fake exasperation, shaking the DVDs in front of him.

He let out a sigh, heavy enough that you'd think he was about to make some big sacrifice, though his eyes betrayed his act, showing his delight in it all. "Oh well, I suppose since I am already here. Which dreadful one hour long torture am I about to endure, then?"

Chloe found herself suddenly blushing, remembering her choice of movies. Luckily, her daughter saved her from having to reply.

"Wreck-it Ralph and Beauty and the Beast," Trixie said happily, looking at both covers and pondering between them. And then, just when Chloe was silently thanking her for it, she blurted: "Mommy picked it!"

Oh, Hell. Out of the mouth of babes.

"Did she now?" Lucifer asked, voice practically a purr, though the look he was giving her was nothing if not utterly fond.

Trixie nodded. "Mhm. Which one do you wanna watch first?"

"How about we start with Wreck-it Ralph, munchkin?" Chloe asked her, trying her best to make them move on before Lucifer could speculate about it. "We can watch the other one when the pizza is done, what do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," Lucifer said, not really caring either way, and Trixie accepted it easily enough.

They settled in front of the TV, Chloe and Lucifer both with a glass of wine in hands as they sat next to each other before Trixie jumped in the middle of them with only some mild discomfort from Lucifer before they all got comfortable and started the movie. It was nice, cozy even. So different from anything she's ever pictured him doing on a friday night. Yet there he was, willingly settling down for a movie night with her and her daughter, no strippers or drugs in sight.

Their plans about having a romantic dinner together in a fancy restaurant were completely ruined, the chances of them finally having sex later tonight reduced to none, and yet… not once did Lucifer complain about the lost reservation and the favor he wasted in order to get it in the first place, about the sudden change of plans nor even about Trixie's inclusion in what was supposed to be their first official date together. No passive-aggressive comment, no demand to be compensated later.

Instead, his complaints were token at best and so obviously playful— about the less than desirable working conditions of her kitchen, about having to watch PG movies without any kind of nudity in them and about no longer being able to ogle at her once she changed into more comfortable clothing. Things that made her laugh and relax, not feel guilty about yet another botched date night.

And maybe she should've expected it, she knew he was more than his playboy persona— she fell in love with all of him, after all. The good, the bad and the crispy, as Linda worded once after Chloe finally found out the truth and had her freak-out.

But still, whenever Lucifer had these moments, moments where he showed the man behind the Devil and just how considerate and kind and _good_ he was, even if he didn't know it himself, she was still left speechless each and every single time. And, if even possible, Chloe couldn't help but fall in love with him even more.

Her childish, stubborn, pervert and at times completely tactless Devil, who was both infuriating and the best damn partner she ever had. Who was a loose-cannon and sometimes made her pull her hair whenever he went nuts at suspects or was completely inappropriate, who had a martyr complex and a sadistic streak that finally made sense while at the same time being the same person who stole her eight-years-old daughter's sandwiches, who made Trixie laugh even though he didn't like children and who Chloe always trusted enough to let her guard down.

Her Lucifer.

And she loved him. Oh, but she loved him.

"What?" Lucifer asked her, giving her a confused smile when he caught Chloe staring at him instead of the screen where the characters cheered at their each individual happy endings.

She shook her head lightly, whispering back: "Nothing, just…"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you're here," Chloe said, smiling at him and hoping her eyes were showing all that she couldn't yet put into words for him. All the love she had for him. "With me, tonight. With _us._ Thank you, Lucifer. You didn't have to."

Lucifer's eyes softened at her words, and he gave her one of his small, genuine smile that she found were reserved only to her.

"Quite the opposite, Detective! I think you'll find that I very much had to. I couldn't just leave you alone on a friday night after being promised a good time with yours truly, could I? That'd be sinful, and not in a fun way," he replied, his grin widening even more when she shook her head and laughed softly. "And I suppose… it wasn't that bad, as friday nights go. I could get used to it."

"Oh, really?" she asked, amusement and fondness both clear in her voice, "You, Lucifer Morningstar, could get used to a friday night in watching kids' movies with me and my 'spawn'?"

He sighed exaggerated, shrugging magnanimously as if he was doing her a favor. "Yes, I suppose. Though we do have to discuss about your offspring's taste in movies. We could watch High School Hot Tub instead, for an instance. That'd certainly be educational."

"Please, as if I didn't see you sniffing during the movie."

"You can't fault me for identifying with the situation, I'm sure," Lucifer took offense, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Don't think I'm not aware that you picked those movies for a reason."

Chloe blushed, looking down at where her daughter was lying comfortably between them to avoid admitting anything— her Mickey Mouse blanket thrown over all three of them, only making the situation feel even more cozy and homey. Trixie hugged closer to her, sighing happily as the final music played and the credits started showing in the screen.

Then he continued, a lot softer than before: "You're welcome, Chloe," he whispered against her hair, completing it with a kiss she barely felt but still warmed her heart regardless.

For a moment or two they stayed there, enjoying the moment and sharing a private smile together, before Trixie suddenly spoke up.

"Can we eat the pizza now or do I still have to pretend I'm not hearing you two talking and doing the eye thing again?"

Chloe laughed, freely and happily like she hadn't felt in a while, attacking her daughter with tickles and spurring Lucifer into action to get away with the pretense of getting their food. "Yes, come on, you little monkey. Let's eat."


End file.
